Handcart Pioneer Trek Leaders Conference, Martin's Cove, WY

On September 19-2o, 2008 Jane and I attended Trek Leader's training at the Handcart Pioneer's Historical Site in central Wyoming. This center hosts multi-day youth conferences during the summer at the actual sites where the handcart pioneers were rescued at Martin's Cove and Rocky Ridge. This 24-hour training class is required for the leaders of any church groups that are planning to come next summer. The historical site is a five hour drive one way from our house. We left Thursday evening so we wouldn't have to leave at 4am and then have to be in class all day. I looked on-line and found a relatively inexpensive hotel in Rawlins, Wyoming, which is 62 miles from the site and the closest town with services. When we arrived at our hotel, it (the hotel) was a little smaller than I expected, but the room was very clean, but a little less than what I am used to staying in when I travel with Microsoft (and I am pretty frugal).

Here is our room at the hotel. As you can tell it is pretty basic.


The plumbing worked, but as I said, the room was pretty basic. I just kept thinking it was much better than being in a tent.


One of the reasons I picked the hotel was that it had a free breakfast buffet. Generally, when I stay at a hotel with a free buffet its a pretty good indication of at least a minimal level of quality. When Jane and I went downstairs to eat, this is what we saw. Tupperware containers spread out on the front desk. I had to laugh, but we declined to eat; the McDonalds across the street started looking very inviting.


Next we had to find the Historical Center located out in the middle of Wyoming. They listed a street address, but my map software couldn't find any location corresponding to the address. I called the history center and was stunned to find out that when I mentioned I was going to be navigating via GPS, the senior missionary sister offered to give me the GPS coordinates! I wrote them down faithfully, entered them into the GPS software, and an hour later, Jane and I found ourselves out in the middle of nowhere. I swear we found the last hideout of the Gadianton Robbers out there. We turned around, I looked through my literature and found usable directions, which turned out to be good enough to get us there. I took another GPS reading at the front entrance, and will provide it to the center for future reference. The point the dear sister gave me was about 50 miles away out on the praire somewhere.

When we were told about the training I figured it was going to be a class with some tours and lots of slide shows. We checked in at 10:30am, and at 11:30am, we started. We had a brief introduction in a large training room, and then we went out for the day on a little mini-trek to get some idea of the program. This is Jane and I with the yellow group in front of the handcart we had to help pull/push throughout the day.


We all took our turns. Mostly we walked in front or behind. Our handcart had a big ice chest with bottled water and snacks.



After our first 1/2 mile, we left the handcart in a meadow and did a reverent walk up to Martin's Cove. First we stopped at a little hollow they called "Daniel's Cove" where there is a little inspirational talk and a reading of the some of the accounts of the Martin company. They do not have any music, talks or presentations in Martin's Cove itself because of its sacred nature. They also ask the groups not to talk once they leave Daniel's Cove and walk to Martins Cove (about another 1/2 mile round trip).


This is the view from the top of Martin's Cove looking down into the area where the Handcart Pioneers would have camped. There were about 500 people in the Martin Company camped here.


After leaving Martin's Cove, we walked down to the Sweetwater River, where the winter crossings were supposed to have taken place. Near the crossing they have these very touching sculptures depicting the young men that carried all of the people across the freezing river.




During the youth treks they have a chance to cross and remember the sacrifice those young men made. Here we are making the crossing


After crossing, we were walking along the trail and came to a little shack, and an Army officer halted our group and conscripted all the men into the Army. Even though the Mormon Battalion happened ten years after the handcart pioneers, they provide this little program. The men are marched off the the women have a little talk about honoring the priesthood, and they they have to remember how brave all those sisters were by pulling the handcarts up a steep ridge by themselves. This is another program that is available to the youth. They men have their own talk about honoring women and then have to watch from distance while the sisters struggle alone.


Our meals were all the type of food that we might prepare for our youth. They give us the recipes in our packets and they serve different types of meals so you see a wide variety. This is our dining hall with all of the leaders in our training group. There are about 40 senior missionaries that work at the site running both the summer program and the leadership training events in the fall. The trails closes and most of the missionaries leave once winter sets in.


The youth camp out on the praire out on trail camps. There are fire rings and benches for each company. A family consists of two adult leaders, and eight (youth) children. Each family has a handcart to haul their possessions during the trek. A company consists of four families. This is the only water in camp. You can see the pit toilets in the distance. Jane and I will be providing food for our entire stake youth conference, which will be about 300 people for three days.